Just Another Gamer
by Dax379
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The Gamer. Matsu wakes up in complete darkness. After somewhat remembering what lead up to him being there, a blue rectangle pops up in front of him. "Would you like to play a game?" This is a Naruto Gamer story. I'm not sure if the rating is correct, but I feel good about it. Fair warning: OC starts off with MS (granting him "The Gamer").
1. Chapter 1: Wake up

Darkness. It's all around me, suffocating me. I feel nothing as I stand in this pitch-black void, paralyzed, and though I would never admit it later, scared. I try to open my mouth, but it won't listen. I try to take in the smell of my surroundings, breathing in through my nose, but my body denies me. Only my ears allow me to take in any sort of sensory input. Unfortunately, anything I might be able to hear around here is drowned out by the sound of a beating heart. After my panic, I realize that there is nothing I could do to change my situation, at least at first glance, so I think back. To who I am. To my name. Everything is blurry, but there is one thing I am sure of. I died. When trying to focus on my cause of death, it eludes me entirely. It is as if my mind fights back. I press on. I wish to remember the pain, so I do. All the pain I endured in my life, the humiliation, the hurt, the feeling of my heart and mind breaking.

It snaps me out of my unfeeling, paralyzed state, allowing me to strain against my surroundings. I try to move violently and trash around. Due to some form of wooden construct holding me prisoner, however, I can only close my eyes and scream out my pain until my throat can no longer hold out and my tongue gets its first real taste in this environment. Blood. Still shaking, I calm myself, tears flowing down my cheeks and my eyes hurting fiercely. I died. Whatever mistakes I made, whatever my enemies may wish on me, it cannot hurt me anymore. It isn't much, but it allows me to calm down somewhat. It is a slow process, calming down after having been exposed to a lifetime of suffering, but I manage. After all, there was little else to do here. After my body stops shaking and the only things that concerns me anymore are the feeling of wood and the loud heartbeat. When I open my eyes, what greeted me was something I never would have expected. A rectangle, in all its blue glory, appeared before me.

**Would you like to play a game?**

**Y|N**

What were my options? To say no and stay here, in the darkness, trying to maintain my sanity, or to say yes and potentially maintain my sanity for a little while longer? I let out a sigh, surprised that it doesn't hurt my throat. Surprised that the taste of iron vanished. Why was that? I decide to not concern myself with that and look at my only option. Mentally, I click it. Clicking things. That was something I vaguely remember from my past life.

**Welcome to the world of Naruto.**

Naruto? Immediately my mind supplies information to me. Blonde idiot, dressed in orange, has a big fox inside of him, was considered an underdog despite having almost infinite chakra, being from an almost extinct clan which gives him even more, being the reincarnation of the chosen and son of the Sage of Six Paths, being the son of the Fourth Hokage who is one of the very few villages with a 'flee-on-sight' order, and being trained by the upper political echelon of his village in a world where political power is almost always coupled with personal power. You know, typical underdog stuff as far as anime goes. I sure hope that I got some sweet bloodline stuff. While some people want to do everything themselves and all that jazz, often ignoring their own natural privileges when declaring that they did so, I mostly want to survive.

**Due to the following conditions, **

**\- Immense psychological trauma of having experienced a lifetime of pain within seconds**

**\- The stress of reincarnating into a body in a different world**

**\- Being directly connected to the God-Tree**

**you have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. Your unique ability in both eyes is [The Gamer].**

I blink. Well, that went about as good as it possibly could have if the rectangle tells the truth.

**New quest unlocked!**

**Of Alien Origin (1)**

**Open your status.**

**On success: +5 Status Points**

**On failure: Death**

Well that wasn't dramatic at all. The first mission has a chance of death? In the tutorial? I can feel my wooden restraint tighten. It's do or die I suppose. "Status", I mutter. The voice that comes out of my mouth confuses me. I am not supposed to sound that young. Before I can think about what that means, the rectangle changes size and words. Changing words was nothing new, it's done that a few times already, but the size change surprised me. Then again, if this was supposed to be an RPG, why should I be surprised? It wasn't much weirder than its newly changed positioning.

**Name: Matsu, (no Title), (no Clan)**

**Level: 1 (0%)**

**HP: 28/60**

**CP: Infinite*/0**

**Control: 10%**

**Str: 4**

**Dex: 5(+1)=6**

**Vit: 4**

**Int: 10**

**Cha: 8**

**Crk: 0**

**Status Points: 0**

Looking at it, my physicals are crap, because I am not smart enough for them to actually be anything decent. What does surprise me is the infinite out of zero CP, which I can only assume are chakra points. The other anomaly, the +1, is intriguing as well, but I have no idea how any of this is calculated, so I'm probably unable to satisfy my curiosity on that topic before I get more information on how [The Gamer] operates.

**Quest Completed!**

**Reward: +5 Status Points!**

**New quest unlocked!**

**Status Points: 5**

Five whole status points. I could make myself a lot faster. Or a lot stronger. Or a lot luckier. That one in particular seems nice.

**Of Alien Origin (2)**

**Increase your Crk by five.**

**On success: New Perk "Of Alien Origin"!**

**On failure: Death**

There goes that choice, I guess. I mentally push the five points into Crk.

**CP: Infinite*/25**

**Crk: 5**

**Status Points: 0**

The moment I do, I can feel something inside of me shift as a weird power fills me. Is that what chakra feels like? It is intoxicating. "What in the-", I barely get out before the rectangle interrupts me again.

**Quest Completed!**

**Reward: New Perk "Of Alien Origin"!**

**New quest unlocked!**

**Something Wicked This Way Comes**

**Escape from the God-Tree**

**On success: Loss of the "God-Tree Bound" Perk!**

**On failure: Death**

I am going to assume that the God-Tree Bound Perk is something inherently bad and I should be happy to be rid of it. First of all though. "Perks?", I ask, hoping that it might give me insight.

**Perks:**

**Civilian-Born: By being a child of generations of non-chakra users, you possess a weaker body than true ninjas. You only gain 50% HP and 50% CP. It is 20% harder to raise physical stats by hard work.**

**God-Tree Bound: By awakening from the Infinite Tsukoyomi while still being bound inside the God-Tree, you have infinite CP as long as you are connected to it, but slowly die and turn into a White Zetsu.**

**Of Alien Origin: By generating your own chakra without being related or directly aided by an Ōtsutsuki, you have gained the ability to increase your Lck by spending status points.**

**Progenitor Of Hate: By being the first to unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan without being inherently peaceful, you no longer require CP to keep it active after activating it.**

**The Gamer: By obtaining the [The Gamer] ability, you obtain the following skills (these may grant related sub-skills): [Gamer's Mind], [Gamer's Body]**

Remember how I said that I figured that the God-Tree Bound perk was bad? Well, now I am a hundred percent certain of it! I struggle, but sadly it doesn't help. I doubt I am capable of breaking through the wood, especially since I now have a weirdly small body. Was I reincarnated as a toddler? I get the feeling I have been turned into a toddler! After some more struggling, I realize that there's little I can do. My body is sore and my legs hurt from simply standing. I consider my options. Physically, I am incapable of doing much, so what other option is there? The answer is pretty obvious: Chakra. Unfortunately, I have no idea on how to actually use chakra. I move it around a bit and into my hands. I can't make handseals though. After all, I'm still imprisoned. With no other options, I just flare it out, pushing it as fast as I can. That seems to do the trick! When I push it out, my surroundings just seem to... disintegrate? I hope that this is God-Tree only and I don't actually have Mei's Kekkei Genkeis, because my complete lack of control would make me a danger to others, and by extension a danger to myself. I also notice a strange feeling of weightlessness, of falling. Makes me wonder wh-

**8/60 HP**

Okay, ouch. The reason why I felt like that made itself known the moment I was able to perceive it. Turns out that my prison wasn't ground level. I look up into the tree and gulp. Had I been any further up, that fall would probably have killed me.

**Quest Completed!**

**Reward: Loss of the "God-Tree Bound" Perk!**

**New quest unlocked!**

**(Sugar) Daddy**

**You are literally a baby. Find someone to take care of you. Tip: Crying has the best chance of working, but may attract predators.**

**On success: Someone who protects you is reward enough**

**On failure: You stay lonely**

I think that has to be the single weirdest quest name you could give in that situation. I start crawling around for a bit. No clue how old I am. Sure am too small to be the age I feel my body is development-wise. Maybe I'm a midget? Oh, well, far from the end of the world. So I crawl around. Then I consider crying. Now I know what you're thinking: Don't you have any pride? To which I reply: A meal which costs me my honor is still free!

Perhaps fortunately, I choose not to. After all, it might attract the attention of someone I don't want to meet. I sigh. Well, time to relocate and hope I find something edible. I crawl away further before looking at the God-Tree, taking in everything about it. The tree was huge. Crazy huge. In the anime, you see that it's located in a crater, but you have no idea just how big that crater is. I am still not out from under the tree despite an hour of crawling! Then again, it's not like my crawl speed is that impressive. After I've been crawling and looking around for a while, I hear a weird sound. I remember that sound. It's that same sound a microwave makes when it just finished heating something up.

**New Skill:**

**Lv 1 Observe (0%)**

**Use of this skill grants additional information on a target. The lower the target's level compared to yours and the higher the level of this skill, the more information is gathered.**

Observe, huh? I might as well try it right away.

**Dirt**

**Rock**

**God-Tree**

Never mind then. The only information I can gain is the most basic one. Looking up into the tree I can faintly see some names, but they mean nothing to me. There's three names inside the tree that do, but I did not want to meet either of those.

**Kaguya** **Ōtsutsuki**

**Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki**

**Hamura Ōtsutsuki**

I'd really rather not have to deal with these three. I sure hope that Kaguya just doesn't have her Byakugan active or her Rinne Sharigan open. I gulp. Had I cried back then, I'd already be dead. I think for a bit. I don't want to alert Kaguya, but if I don't have anyone taking care of me, I doubt I'll live long. I am in a really bad spot.

**For making an accurate observation despite your physically young age, gain +1 Int**

Not. Helping.

At least not right now, at the very least. There is one thing I did notice though. It mentioned me creating a new skill. My The Gamer Perk did the same thing. How did I not check this out immediately? Maybe the +1 Int did help some. "Skills", I whisper, hoping that Kaguya doesn't notice.

**Skills:**

**Lv 1 (Max) Gamer's Body (100%)**

**This skill allows its user to perceive his own life like a standard RPG Video Game. He does not require food, sleep or water, may freely modify his abilities within certain set limits, reflects his status as opposed to taking visible damage and can regenerate while sleeping. **

**Lv 1 (Max) Gamer's Mind (100%)**

**This skill allows its user to passively perceive the world around him like a standard RPG Video Game. The user possesses selective immunity to most psychological effects and is entirely immune to certain genjutsu or mental effects. Further, due to the perfect control enabled by this ability, maximum Control is uncapped below 100%.**

**Lv 5 Genjutsu: Sharingan (-)**

**This sub-skill of the [Sharingan] allows the user to craft different illusions without properly using genjutsu. The higher the level of this ability, the more powerful the illusion can be, but it is almost never equivalent in strength to a properly performed genjutsu by someone of the user's level.**

**Lv 1 (Max) ID Create (100%)**

**This skill is a combination ability of [Gamer's Body] and [Gamer's Mind]. Allows the creation of Instant Dungeons, with different dungeons being unlocked as you progress in level. Turns into [ID Escape] of the same level while inside an Instant Dungeon.**

**Lv 1 (Max) Mangekyo Blindness Immunity (100%)**

**This passive sub-skill of [Gamer's Body] allows its user to become immune to the loss of sight normally experienced by over-using the [Mangekyo Sharingan]. It also grants a one-time discount of 50% on buying the [Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan] upgrade for the [Mangekyo Sharingan] in the shop. Doing so causes this skill to be permanently removed.**

**Lv 1 (Max) Mangekyo Sharingan (100%)**

**This skill represents an upgrade to the [Sharingan] and grants access to one or two special skills almost always unique to the user when active. Decuples the CP cost of maintaining the [Sharingan] active while active. Passively grants access to [Susano'o]. May be upgraded in the shop. Special ability gained: [The Gamer]. Warning: Over-use of this ability may render the user blind unless precautions are taken.**

**Lv 1 Observe (98%)**

**This sub-skill of [Gamer's Mind] grants additional information on a target on use. The lower the target's level compared to yours and the higher the level of this skill, the more information is gathered.**

**Lv 5 Sharingan (79%)**

**The [Sharingan] is the signature ability of the Uchia clan, having an upkeep of 10 CP/s for Uchia or Ōtsutsuki Clan members and 100 CP/s otherwise. While active, it grants the [Genjutsu: Sharingan] and [Sharingan Chakra Sight] Skills with a level equal to this skill's level. Further, it allows the user to copy jutsu and movements he sees while it is active and increases Dexterity by +5% plus an additional 5% per tomoe (max. 3 tomoe). Depending on skill level or other circumstances, this skill may change its appearance and gains additional tomoe. Current amount of tomoe: Three.**

**Lv 5 Sharingan Chakra Sight (-)**

**This sub-skill of the Sharingan allows the user to detect chakra. The user may be visually informed of how much there is, what nature-transformation it is going through and how it was shaped.**

**Lv 1 (Max) Shop (100%)**

**This skill is a combination ability of [Gamer's Body] and [Gamer's Mind]. You may spend Ryo or Status Points to gain Items, Jutsu, Bloodlines and more. Some Quests created by [Gamer's Mind] may grant Gatcha-Tokens you can use for a random spin with possible prizes depending on the token.**

**Lv 1 Susano'o (0%)**

**This sub-skill of the [Mangekyo Sharingan] allows one to create a human-like monster out of chakra. The higher the level, the more complex and powerful the monster. Obtaining the [Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan] allows for even more complexity and power. Unlike the [Sharingan], the [Susano'o] requires the same amount of 2000 CP/s regardless of Clan.**

**Lv 1 (Max) The Gamer (100%)**

**This sub-skill and unique ability of the [Mangekyo Sharingan] passively grants the "The Gamer" perk. Further, [The Gamer], skills using [The Gamer] or skills requiring skills associated with [The Gamer] cannot be identified, learned or copied unless the person learning, identifying or copying them possesses the "The Gamer" Perk.**

Oh god that is one big list. After looking at it and thinking for a bit I quickly realize a few things. First of all, turning off the Mangekyo Sharingan would probably knock me out or kill me as my Progenitor Of Hatred Perk would no longer work. Secondly the CP cost of Susano'o is insanity and I highly doubt I am ever gonna be able to actually use it. Thirdly, most of my abilities are interconnected with The Gamer, so I don't have to worry about being copied, which is nice. Another thing to note is that the Shop tracks Ryo, which may very well not exist yet, so that's probably useless unless I can get some via quests. And I really don't have the luxury to be spending stat points.

I lie down on the ground, no longer supporting myself with all fours. How am I supposed to be able to do anything right now? My quest kinda locks me into finding someone who could help me, but I'm probably the only person not in a genjutsu on the planet right now. Staying here is going to kill me for sure, so that's not an option. It only takes Kaguya deciding that she wants to check on the Zetsus and I'm toast. Heck, if I just stay here and one of the Zetsus is ready to drop, I'd die in an instant. Yes, I had the Sharingan, but next to no CP now that I am no longer connected to the tree. I had to escape. And really, there's only one way for me from what I can see. I gulp again. What would await me if I do this? No clue, but what was the alternative? Waiting until Kaguya notices me? That's practically auto-death. I steel my resolve for what might happen before I stand up, my body taking a lot better to the whole upright-walking than I thought, and invoke the skill.

"ID Create!"


	2. Chapter 2: Instant Regret

Next thing I know, I am standing in a place that looks deceptively familiar to the place where I just was. And without my Sharingan, I would've been fooled into believing that I hadn't moved at all. However, just a quick look around tells me otherwise. I realize very quickly that there were no names anymore. The God-Tree doesn't pulse with life either. It just looks like your normal, everyday tree. I mean, aside from the size, of course. "Creepy," I tell myself out loud in order to have any sound at all. Frankly, that was probably the creepiest part. There're no birds. No insects. No wind. It is as if my skill killed the entire world, only leaving me alive. The very air felt dead and wrong. I breathe in. I breathe out. I check my HP.

**8/60 HP**

No poison. At least none I could feel. After taking my surroundings in a bit, a new rectangle makes itself known.

**Instant Dungeon initiation completed**

**Choose the level you wish to challenge the dungeon at.**

**0: No enemies**

**1: Undead**

I think for a bit. ID Create would have swapped into ID Escape, so if I wanted to change the level, I'd need to back in and back out. It's also impossible for me to create layers of instant dungeons. Makes me wonder if I could use Shadow Clones to create multiple instant dungeons or if that is going to fail. With a grimace, I push that thought aside and concentrate on the current situation. If I now choose no enemies, I'd be safe, yes, but I'd also have no way to gain experience. What even was the difference between picking no enemies and this place anyway? No one is here but me! Was that just to make the rectangle go away?

**Quest failed: (Sugar) Daddy**

Failed? I groan. Well, of course I'd fail the mission if the only adult around was murderous royalty. I curse and punch the ground before immediately realizing that it was a lot harder than my toddler hand.

**-1 HP**

Go figure, I'm a toddler, not like I can level the earth I'm standing on with a single punch. I did notice something, however: On the ground, directly under my feet, there is a glowing, red symbol. Wait, I know this symbol. "Naori?" I ask no one in particular. If it weren't for [Gamer's Mind], I'd probably be rather confused right now. This was the design of her Mangekyo Sharingan. The eyes of a character that wasn't even born yet. Chances are she'll never be born in the first place, what with me now being here. Upon second glance and with a bit of thinking, I realize that it was not really hers. It was similar though. Swap black to red and the other way around and you'd have a spitting image of her Mangekyo Sharingan.

Considering my Progenitor Of Hate Perk, there was only one explanation for a Mangekyo Sharingan to be here, especially so soon after Kaguya's arrival: This was mine. "Observe", I say, triggering the skill of the same name.

**Instant Dungeon Entry Point**

**Observe leveled up!**

I raise my hands in the air in triumph before immediately trying it again.

**Instant Dungeon Entry Point**

**The entry point of an instant dungeon.**

I sigh, something which has almost become second nature to me by this point. Honestly, what did I expect? Still, this thing has to have some sort of function, right? After all, why bother marking it otherwise? I dwell on this a bit, but am forced to let it go. There's no way in hell I'd wanna brute force this. I l lie down on the ground to sleep. It did say I would regenerate upon sleeping, and with 7 HP left sleep sounds pretty good. The ground is hard, but so smooth. So unnaturally smooth. The last thing I remember before letting death's little brother take me is the dungeon's sun in all its pale glory.

**You slept and regenerated!**

In the morning, I am greeted by a rectangle in my face. Upon viewing it, I check my HP to see the result.

**60/60 HP**

I have to say, having full health again? It feels pretty amazing. Actually, now that I think about it, I never had full HP before. With that out of the way, I pay attention to the second rectangle.

**New quest unlocked!**

**First Blood**

**Kill.**

**On success: +200 XP, [?]!**

**On failure: You will succeed in this quest. Sooner or later.**

Look, I'm well aware that I just failed my first mission, but come on, cheer up rectangle friend! Not gonna lie, I was leaning towards just lying here until I get a few years on myself before training, but those 200 XP might go a long way. Not like I know how much XP I need for a level up. That, plus there's a mystery prize. I am excited for the mystery prize. It was so tempting. I spend some time considering my options. Ultimately, I could always back out and re-enter immediately, no? At least I hope so. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Right. I select the Undead option. The moment I do, the Instant Dungeon Entry Point lets out a pulse of energy. And, like it did when I first invoked ID Create, the world changes.

The lack of smell was immediately replaced by the smell of blood. The still wind starts howling. The sun in the sky vanishes and is replaced by a moon so blood-red that I almost expected that same fluid to drip down from it onto the earth every time the celestial object pulses. That is the only way I could describe the strange object in the sky. A bloody, pulsating moon. Slowly, a weird feeling builds up inside of me before it is suppressed by Gamer's Mind. The message it sends me is clear as day, even if the bad feeling is suppressed.

You shouldn't have done this.

I fire up the Observe skill again, verbally activating it. It is then I notice the first of the undead shambling towards me. Its movements are slow. One would be forgiven to think the steps it takes tactical and thoughtful if it weren't for the occasional stumble along with the knowledge that there was no mind guiding its movements. I see its chakra, but it was so much different from what little knowledge of chakra I could call my own. There is something missing, and I don't know what it is. It comes closer. With every move it trails a foul liquid from a wound I cannot see, the only evidence of it being the stains it leaves in its wake. I get ready to strike, my body reacting to the danger, adapting to it, as if it knew that I would need to be able to move like I used to back home if I wanted to have any chance of staying alive in this dungeon. It comes closer. Its body is armor. Its limbs are covered in hooks. I wonder if that liquid is poisonous. It comes from a being like this, it cannot be healthy, can it? One final time, it inches closer. I strike to kill. Or can you not call it killing if it is already dead?

**+5 XP**

Squish. I am honestly surprised by how easy this was. I mean, yes, the beetle was just the size of my palm, hell, not even that, but I kinda imagined that it would somehow put up a fight. Then again, it isn't like me to complain about free stuff.

**Quest Completed!**

**Reward: +200 XP, [Inventory]!**

**Level Up!**

**Inventory detected. Enable auto-loot?**

Looking at the rectangle, I almost jump with joy. Can you blame me? I just leveled up and got an Inventory! I stroke my non-existent beard. Another The Gamer related skill. Makes me wonder how far I can go with this. I might as well check it out. "Skills," I say before looking through the list. I quickly find it, sandwiched between ID Escape and Mangekyo Blindness Immunity.

**Lv 2 Inventory (-)**

**This skill is a sub-skill of the [The Gamer] skill. Grants (Level*Level) slots in and from which you can store and retrieve items with a thought. This skill's level is automatically equal to your character level. Has three different modes: No auto-loot, auto-loot, system-only-auto-loot. Certain objects may be salvaged depending on level. The higher the level of [Inventory], the better the returns of salvaging an object.**

Huh, neat. "Set to system-only-auto-loot," I say, curious as to what that'll do.

**System-loot enabled. Automatically loots all system-related items and Ryo.**

**+5 Ryo**

Yeah, that feels about right. I look around and still see nothing approach me before looking at my Inventory. Ryo, it seems, takes up a slot, but stacks up. I don't know how far it stacks though. I try to salvage it, but the system won't let me. That's fair. After all, it did say that only certain objects may be salvaged, and Ryo just doesn't seem to be one of those objects. At least not for now. Talking about the here and now, if the inhabitants of this place may excuse me, there's level up mattes that need attending to.

**Status Points: 6**

Six points? That's a lot! Maybe. Not like I know what the average is. I wonder what exactly influences how many points I get. I put two in Vitality, two in Strength, one in Chakra and one in Luck.

**Str: 6  
**

**Vit: 6  
**

**Crk: 6**

**Lck: 1**

My reasoning is that, honestly, I just want to get my physicals up to baseline human level, which I have not yet reached, and figure that a bit of Luck and bonus Chakra couldn't hurt. I could feel my body becoming more powerful. I walk around for a bit to adjust myself. My movement became no more fluid, I guess that speed and agility are both providence of Dex, but I was very happy with my choices. It doesn't matter that I'm tiny, who needs age if you can just adjust your stats. Of course, I was still no match for an adult, I could feel that rather easily, but it was still a 50% increase to two physical stats, a small upgrade to my Chakra and whatever the hell luck does. As for my HP and CP, can't hurt to take a look.

**60/90 HP**

**25/30 CP**

So the formula for HP seems to be Vitality times fifteen for me, Vitality times thirty for anyone else. For CP, it's Chakra times five and times ten for anyone else. Also, increasing my Vitality or Chakra doesn't heal me up to full. Nice to know. Better find stuff like that out now than when I am in combat. I was not aware yet that this very thought would jinx it. Looking around, my Chakra Sight suddenly identifies up three signatures in the distance which seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Did they just spawn in? They seem to be toddlers as well, but they were evidently undead. I trigger Observe.

**Remnant of the Kaguya Clan**

**Lv 1**

**One of the many children that did not survive Kirigakure's purge of their clan. They now seek revenge on the living. Their bones are as hard as steel, but they lack proper motor control.**

I'd like to believe that I would've pitied them in any other situation, but honestly, I'd probably have done the same thing I do now: I run. They pursue. They show no trace of fear or hesitation as they run towards me on all fours, though it is more like their tiny legs are dragged after them as they dash forward on the huge scythe-blades of bone that have entirely replaced their forearms. The sounds they make, as if the screams of children weren't bad enough, have been warped as well, with their voices being so high-pitched that it wouldn't have surprised me at all if my ears spontaneously decided to start bleeding. I change direction a few times and am now running towards the big tree, but they somehow manage to hang on. No, not only hang on: They are gaining on me! I reach the tree and start climbing. Their scythe-forearms dig into the wood the moment they reach the tree, trying to follow. They fall off more than once, but they learn quickly, and slowly they catch up to me. The microwave sound appears.

**New Skill:**

**Lv 1 Climbing (90%)**

**Passively increases your climbing ability, increasing your speed, ability to find good holds and bettering your instincts regarding the task. Passively grants +1% Str per level. Passively increases climbing speed by 10%. Passively decreases chance to fall of while climbing by 10%.**

That helps at least a bit. I manage to get up on a big branch and realize that they'll be here soon as well. I have to make my stand here. On the plus side, they are kinda stupid and can't surround me on this branch. On the downside, if they somehow manage to make me fall off or hit me with their bone blades, I am doomed. The first one arrives. I didn't notice at first, but this one lacks its lower jaw. At least I won't have to watch out for bites. I'd hate to be turned into a zombie, and while there's no guarantee it works this way or it bypasses Gamer's Body, I'd rather not risk it. It looks at me for a bit, or at least I think it does, hard to tell when your opponent doesn't even seem to possess proper eyes anymore. They are all weird and melted. The two of us stare each other down for a moment with the second one just now managing to take hold of the branch I'm on. Or at least I stare it down, since I am the one with proper eyes. Then, with a loud screech, the first one charges. "Figured you would try that," I say and grin before kicking against the side of its head.

**-10 HP**

I can feel a weird, malformed rib piercing through my foot. I know it'll disappear as soon as I pull it out thanks to Gamer's Body, but it's still an attack I'd rather not take a second time. Fortunately, the damage I took was worth it as I hear the impact of the undead's body.

**+20 XP, +15 Ryo**

Fall damage. Nice to see it working in my favor for once. The second one now stands ready to charge. Lacking a proper mind. It charges me, I kick it off. The third one goes down the same way.

**+20 XP, +15 Ryo**

**+20 XP, +15 Ryo**

I sit down. Honestly, I am fairly happy that this place isn't as hostile as I thought it would be.

**New quest unlocked!**

**One Man's Trash...**

**Salvage an item.**

**On success: +350 XP, +1 Skill Scroll!**

**On failure: No repercussions on failure.**

Skill scroll? What's a skill scroll? I open up the shop to search for it. The shop, by the way, is filled to the brim with crazy stuff. Especially the jutsu section. If I ever unlock Magnet Release, I gotta get my hands on the Magnet Clone Jutsu, which magnetizes the target and causes it to attract or repulse objects selectively according to my will. Combine that with some poison and needles and you got yourself a distraction that can turn your enemy into the target of enemy-seeking poison needles. I pry my eyes away from all the potential awesome locked in this section and go to items. Kunai, senbon, shuriken, swords, storage scrolls, but no Skill Scroll. It is only then I make an important connection. I move back to the bloodline section and move to the Mangekyo Sharingan and then down to my own ability, The Gamer. It is there I find what I was looking for:

**+X Skill Scroll**

**A scroll that can be salvaged in the Inventory to obtain +X Levels to a Skill of your choice. Cannot be used on a Skill that does not use Experience. Cannot be used on a Skill that has already reached the maximum possible level. Warning: Certain Skills cannot gain Experience by continued use and require a +X Skill Scroll to level up.**

**Cost: X Status Points**

There it is. Sounds pretty amazing to be honest. I mean, it might not be useful for lower level skills you are better off training normally, but if you have one of those Skills that cannot gain XP normally it'd be amazing. Or if you have high-level skills which would take a decade to train. What kind of amazing things could I learn and do with a cheat like that, I wonder? I take my head out of the clouds. Time to find something recyclable! I climb down the tree.

**Climbing leveled up!**

Neat. After finally standing on solid ground again, I look around for a bit. Sadly, there's nothing around I could potentially use. There're rocks and stuff, but trying to salvage them does not work. However, it wasn't an outright denial like with Ryo. Instead, it told me that my Inventory level was too low. It did say it depends on level, so I guess I should've seen that coming. The squished beetle gives me the same message. The only thing I haven't tried yet would be the corpses of the three undead I kicked down from the tree. Trying it out on them does bring up a window, but the result was not very useful.

**Salvaging failed.**

So there was a failure chance. Nice to know. Would've preferred to know that in advance, but what can you do?

**Quest Completed!**

**Reward: +350 XP, +1 Skill Scroll!**

**Level Up!**

**New quest unlocked!**

**Mysterious Markings**

**Investigate the Instant Dungeon Entry Point.**

**On success: Gacha Token, [?]!**

**On failure: Zombie Outbreak.**

I wasn't sure what to feel right now. On one hand, I do not even want to think about a zombie outbreak. On the other, the whole level up thing was nice. Perhaps fortunately, Gamer's Mind flat out halted both the displeasure and the happiness, so I'm fairly calm right now.

I think for a bit, then I salvage the Skill Scroll and put the bonus skill level into Observe. I was supposed to investigate the Entry Point, and Observe was the only skill I had that was directly able to aid an investigation. I use Observe on the two other corpses.

**Kaguya Clansman Corpse**

**Lv 1**

**Corpse of a dead member of the not yet created Kaguya clan made by the Instant Dungeon. Due to being a creation of the Instant Dungeon, salvaging it is pointless.**

I guess that works out? Not sure if this is an improvement over Observe's previous level. I probably should have used Observe on them before using the scroll. You know, so I could directly compare the results. That chance was missed, I guess. Not like I can change that now. Moving over to the Entry Point, I throw Observe online yet again. I immediately regret my decision as I can feel the symbol burning itself into my mind.

**Observe leveled up!**

**Observe leveled up!**

I clutch my head. That is a lot of level ups. Is the Entry Point that complex of a thing?

**Instant Dungeon Entry Point**

**The entry point of an instant dungeon. When a change is made to the dungeon, the wave of change starts from this point and moves away from it, warping everything it comes across as appropriate. Once a level is selected, hazards are created as appropriate to the level selected and the strength of the challenger and can then no longer be changed. Visitors of the dungeon without the ID: Escape skill may leave by touching it.**

**Quest Completed!**

**Reward: Gacha Token, New Perk "Advanced Observer"!**

Appropriate to the strength of the challenger, huh? So there's so little traffic around here because I'm still a toddler. You know what? I'll take it! Better than getting attacked by more monsters than I could handle and dying.

I had no need to check what the Perk did. It became immediately apparent. How? Well, the fact that I looked away from it and back at it again without the symbol's name vanishing made it pretty obvious. I could even mentally focus on it to get the full description back. My assumption is that Advanced Observer allowed me to use Observe passively. Potentially at a CP cost, but since the ability is a passive that is interlinked with Gamer's Mind, and thus my Mangekyo Sharingan, that cost would be set off by my Progenitor Of Hate Perk. It does cover my base Sharingan cost as long as I have the Mangekyo Sharingan active as well, after all, otherwise the Sharingan alone would have knocked me out already thanks to my Civilian-Born perk.

**For making an accurate observation regarding your "Progenitor Of Hate" Perk, you gain +1 Int**

Looks like I was right. Otherwise, why would my ability reward me with a stat up? Since we're already on the topic of stat ups, I take a look at my points.

**Status Points: 6**

They stayed the same. Still six. I wonder how far I am from physically reaching the stats of a baseline adult of my old world. Part of me feels bad for not having just dumped all into Strength. That would've allowed me to now have a ten in two of my physical stats. I guess I'll just get Dexterity to a solid ten and then split the other two between my physical stats.

**Str: 7**

**Dex: 10 (+2) = 12**

**Vit: 7**

I move around a bit once more. This time, I was faster, my movements were smoother and I felt all around like I had more control over my body. As a matter of fact, I felt almost like I had too much control. I blink. Could it be that I'm already there? My movements continue for a bit as I want to make absolutely sure. I think I did it. At least my Dexterity had reached the point where it exceeds what I used to be capable of back home. The tipping point is probably around ten then. Due to my Sharingan, I am unable to actually make a proper assessment of this, but ten is what I'll be aiming for. I would have that by the time I hit level four! Just how powerful are people around here anyway?

Part of me is scared of the answer. Let's be real here for a moment: There is no way in hell for me to beat the Sage of Six Paths. Not him, not his brother, sure as hell not his mother. His kids will probably be able to curb-stomp me as well. The kids of both brothers if we consider the freaking Tenseigan being a thing. And if Black Zetsu finds me I'm boned as well. Nothing else to do but train and hope that those titans won't decide that I'm in their way, it seems. I slap myself. There's no time for me to wallow in self-pity.

Maybe I got all of this wrong? Maybe they are actually all super chill people. I'm sure the Sage of Six Paths is a nice guy. At least he seemed that way from what I remember. Of course, I am "Of Alien Origin", so there's no telling what will happen if he notices that I have CP without his aid. In the worst case scenario he thinks I'm one of his mother's family members, causing him to try to kill me the moment he gets the chance. He'd succeed too. On the other hand, this would be an opportunity to get the chakra of THE Sage of Six Paths. I can use that to unlock the Six Paths Sage Mode if I have Sage Mode unlocked. Can you imagine that kinda boost to my abilities? It'd be amazing. Or I could get his brother's chakra. Hell, I'll probably be there when the old man splits the Juubi into the Bijuu. I could get a sample right of all their chakra right then and there...

It's decided. I'll risk it. I'll go out there and try to do the whole ninshū-business for a bit. Of course, I'll have to fully empty my chakra stocks before I do and hope that Gamer's Body won't have me just keel over from Chakra Exhaustion.

First things first though. Opening the shop, I go to the Gacha. I have one Token. Deep breaths. Let's hope I get lucky.

"Here we go."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**So, today I found out that horizontal lines are a thing. They are super useful for making a clear distinction between things. Such as a story and the Author's Notes. Such as these. Anyway, I'm not sure if the second chapter is the right place to say, or write, more appropriately, this, but I hope you enjoy my first story. If you spot grammar mistakes (as English is, unfortunately evidently, not my native tongue), feel free to point them out.**

**EDIT: I just noticed the question in the reviews. The answer to it is, yes, it is planned that he will ultimately end up being there, however, it will take a good while until we reach that point in the story. It also somewhat depends on how many time-skips I end up including in the story.**


	3. Chapter 3: Baby Steps

**The Gacha reveals: Jutsu Scroll "Unsealing Technique"**

Huh, first spin and I pull a jutsu. Not a high-ranking one, but at least it's a jutsu, right? I go to my inventory and salvage the scroll.

**Jutsu Scroll "Unsealing Technique" has been successfully salvaged! "Unsealing Technique" learned.**

Alright, that is pretty exciting. My first jutsu. Admittedly, it's a fuinjutsu and I have nothing to use it on unless I buy it. With status points. Which I don't have. Damn it. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. Now apparently I can actually draw with blood, somewhat, as Gamer's Body can selectively allow me to temporarily sustain injuries provided it is in conjunction with some sort of skill, but that would only really help me if I had gotten the enclosing technique as opposed to the unsealing one. Nothing I can do, I guess. I sigh. That was not how I expected my first Gacha spin to go. Isn't this normally the part where I get some sort of mega useful or broken power that forever cements me as the chosen one? I suppose I have my Mangekyo Sharingan and the The Gamer skill, so I shouldn't be too greedy. After all, while you may be nothing without natural talent, natural talent isn't everything. If you want to get somewhere in life, you have to train your talents and build on it. And while I never had anything even closely resembling a talent, aside from a somewhat unreliable ability to predict the future due to the Tsunade-levels of luck and intimate relationship with Murphy's law I used to have, that has changed now. Heh, maybe this is what brought me here in the first place? My luck coming full circle and actually working in my favor in an amazing way?

I mean, I was even lucky enough to be reincarnated or transported or whatever into a body with clothes, so that has to count for something. Admittedly, I still can't speak Japanese, so I'm effectively a deaf mute, but that's still a step up from my past life. Plus, I now have the ability to make my own luck! Or at least the ability to put points into it.

I push the thought aside for now. There's little point in thinking about the future if I can't even make do in the present. So I look around for some enemies, my only source of XP in these dark, quest-less times. I'm not exactly sure if the enemy spawns are on a timer or if they have another set of conditions that causes them to happen, but regardless of the why and how of it, I sure don't want to be caught off guard when they happen. Talking about being caught off guard...

"What in the world?" I ask out loud as I look at the bodies of the Kaguya-Clan members. Or rather, at what is happening to them. The ground is slowly swallowing them up, no, slowly disintegrating them. I can feel a cold sweat form on my face as I realize how lucky I am that the Instant Dungeon doesn't see me as food as well, otherwise I wouldn't have survived sleeping in here. Which, in retrospect, was not a good idea. I mean, really, sleeping in an unknown place? In the world of Naruto? You know, the place where being too much of a hippie, or one with the world or whatever you may want to call it, can turn you into stone? That has the words 'bad move bud' basically written all over it!

As I watch the bodies sink in, I get an idea. I may not be able to separate the bones of the Kaguya normally, but the Instant Dungeon can evidently dissolve them. So what if I just let it absorb everything but the blades? I go on to test my idea immediately, and fortunately it works out: The ground consumes them slowly as I lower them down until it reaches the end of the upper arms. Then I lift the two blades of bone up from the ground and voila, I am now the proud owner of two Kaguya-Scytheblades. I put them into my Inventory before repeating the process. Weapons get!

Now that we got that out of the way, it's time to scout. To go out into this weird dungeon world and find a new adventure. And with that, I'm off. And I walk. For a few hours. In just one direction. Climbing out of the crater, I walk further. A part of me is surprised that there is no such thing as a walking skill or fatigue resistance, because I can already feel my muscles getting tired. Can that please be a thing?

**{! #%§~?}**

What is that? My head hurts. My eyes hurt. Don't I have Mangekyo Blindness Immunity? Isn't that supposed to stop stuff like this from happening? Gamer's Mind doesn't try to stop the pain either. I fall down. I vomit. Everything goes dark.

I have no idea for how long I was out. Could've just been a few minutes. Could've been a few days. Maybe years? Not like I need food or anything. What greets me upon awaking is a blue rectangle. What it says is surprising to say the least.

_You slept and regenerated!_

_Unknown parameters identified. Gamer's Body has been successfully updated. Gamer's Mind has been successfully __{! #%§~?}. Mangekyo Blindness Immunity removed._

I... What now? I quickly check the skill in question.

_Lv 1 (Max) Gamer's Body (100%)_

_This skill allows its user to perceive his own life like a standard RPG Video Game. He does not require food, air, sleep or water, may freely modify his abilities within certain set limits, reflects his status as opposed to taking visible damage and can regenerate while sleeping. In conjunction with [Gamer's Mind], this may also override certain debuffs, such as fatigue, advanced aging or strain on certain body parts._**  
**

After searching in my skill-list for a bit, I find no trace of Mangekyo Blindness Immunity and no change to Gamer's Mind. So much for that discount. However, it's loss is more than made up for with the new piece of knowledge I just gained: The Gamer can respond to me. Maybe not just me, maybe certain triggers in environment will do, but that was just a direct response. My question concerning fatigue was directly taken into consideration, it's even specifically named in the description. The strain on certain body parts thing seems to subsume the whole Mangekyo Blindness Immunity thing. I wonder. It does say, right in the text, that I may freely modify my abilities within certain set limits. Was that one of those modifications I can make? How did I do that? I really wish that my skills were a little less vague sometimes...

...No? It was worth a shot.

I check for other changes, but I find none. Everything is still the same, at least from what I can see. I guess the notifications got a tad less obnoxious, but I'm not sure if that's them being actually less intrusive or if that's just me imagining things. There's some additional things in the shop now, but they are locked. Why are they locked? Not grayed out with conditions or anything, but flat out locked. The other thing of note is that some Kekkei Genkei Nature Transformations now have a small note that tells me that other people can unlock them when certain conditions are met. It notes some other stuff too, about how Kekkei Genkei can lock you into using only a small part of what your nature transformation is capable of. Unfortunately, it also flat out tells me that I cannot actually get Kekkei Genkei via special conditions, so that options is straight out for me. I guess it's nice that it at least mentions that people can awaken to a bloodline by means outside of being born with it? Sure, that's a given really, what with Orochimaru and Kabuto doing their experiments, but a part of me feels like there's more to that than the shop lets on. The upside of the whole thing is that my inability to obtain Kekkei Genkei without properly buying it means that I will never only get locked into using only a small part of any bloodline. On the downside I have to acquire it in the shop. For lots of status points.

I'm slowly but surely getting the feeling that those status points are going to be the primary limiting factor. I'd like to believe that I can just level up infinitely by grinding, but it mentions that it is like a standard RPG Video Game, and those almost always have a level cap. Even Disgaea calls it quits at level 999, even if you can squeeze out more power by resetting. I also don't know where that limit would be. Is it like Disgaea where I can go all the way up to 999, like Fallout where 50 is the limit, or is it Pathfinder-style with a limit of 20? Maybe I already inevitably messed up my character? That would be sad.

_New quest unlocked!_

_Blitzing It_

_Beat the boss on your first try._

_Reward: +10000 XP!_

_Failure: A solid thrashing by said boss, death (potentially)  
_

_New quest unlocked!_

_Manifest Destiny_

_Beat the boss of level 1 once._

_Reward: +300 XP, one related item from the shop, [?]!  
_

_Failure: Death (potentially)  
_

Two quests? That's a first.

Wait.

Ten thousand experience? That is a lot of experience. I look around for the boss with my Sharingan, and am rewarded after about half an hour of search.

_Hulking Undead_

_Lv 5_

_The boss of the undead in this area. Possesses immense physical power, but can neither use chakra or its brain._

So this is the boss. It's level five. Two levels above me. This is gonna be a hard fight, I can already tell. I ready myself and get out two of the Kaguya-Scytheblades. They have no grip, so it's almost impossible for me to properly wield them, but I make due by grabbing the edgeless side of the blade. Looking at it, the best thing I can do would be to just take out the legs first to restrict it's mobility. I rush at it with that plan in mind, fully preparing myself to dodge the first swing of its mighty fist.

_-80 HP_

_Sharingan leveled up!_

And I am quickly reminded of the fact that even with my now roughly human Dexterity status, there's still things that are superhuman, and this monstrosity appears to be on that level by sheer size and rotting musclemass alone, not to mention that it moves faster than it has any right to. I grit my teeth.

"Damn it."

That one hit took off almost 80% of my health! However, that isn't enough for the monster. It decides to commit to a charge itself. I want to dodge, but am well aware that there's no way I can escape the attack. I use the Scytheblade to try and block. Just in time as well as another first smashes against it. The blade takes it, but I am unable to hold my own against the strike's force and am blown off my feet with the blade landing a few feet away. I doubt I can get it in time before the undead boss gets to me. Not like it would save me even if I manage to get to it.

_-20 HP_

Despite blocking, I took a load of damage and am near death. What can I do? Slowly, the boss walks towards me, the stench of rotting flesh intensifying the closer it gets. I have to get up. I have to get out of here. Sadly, there is no way for me to escape. Except, of course, one. ID Escape. If I use that, I can flee, but I'll be exposed to whatever is outside of the dungeon, and if Kaguya catches wind of me, I die. I knew from the show that she'd come around a bit, allowing humanity to at least exist below her for her amusement. It's the only choice I can make. I risk death by going out, sure, but my death is guaranteed if I get hit by another attack.

"ID Escape!"

Before the huge fist of my enemy can end my life, the world around me changes.

_Quest failed: Blitzing It_

I am not surprised that this happened. Ten thousand experience were too good to be true. For what it's worth, at least the other quest didn't fail as well, meaning that I can challenge it again. I quickly get up and check my surroundings. I appear to be in a forest. That is not a problem. What is a problem are the sounds of battle coming from a place a lot closer than I'd like. I slowly but surely make my way towards it. Something draws me to the sound of clashing blades. After walking for a minute, I get close enough to see the spectacle. It's a bandit attack, and the bandits are winning. How are bandits here? Did Kaguya already release some people? How long was I out for when Gamer's Body updated. I continue to observe. Talking about Observe, it doesn't give me much information. Just a basic description of who's a bandit, who's a bodyguard and who's a trader. Talking about the bodyguards, they are doing a terrible job, because the last trader just went down. He's not yet dead, but he's bleeding out. That goes for most people involved in this really. There's surprisingly few actual causalities. Only three, two bandits and a body guard, lie dead. The only people still in the race are a bandit and a bodyguard. The other notable thing was that, well...

_Bandit_

_Lv 5_

_A no-good person hellbent on making a living by maker other people's lives miserable. High chance that the bandit life chose him as opposed to him choosing the bandit life, but true empathy for those less fortunate than you isn't practical to have._

The last bandit standing is level five. The same level as the undead in the Instant Dungeon. He doesn't look as strong, but that's probably because the undead only improved physical stats as opposed to being an all-rounder. That and the fact that while the bandit looks less strong, looks could be deceiving. The guard is only level four, but is far less injured compared to his opponent, though equally out of breath. Then, they move. The speed they go at is faster than mine, but not by as much as I would have expected. My Sharingan can easily keep track of their movements. Part of me really wants to take a look at their stats, but that's not something I can do. Not yet, at least. Maybe Observe's later levels will grant me that ability?

The two circle each other. The wounded bandit charges and slashes at his opponent who sidesteps it before lashing out with his blade as well. Blood flows as the bandit isn't fast enough to dodge the strike at his back. He reacted quickly enough to avoid the worst, sure, but the rapidly growing bloodstain on his side more than makes clear that the hit will likely prove fatal. He slumps down where he stands. The guard is moving closer to finish the job. That was a mistake. The bandit strikes out one last time, and his blade buries itself into the guard's guts. Screaming in rage, the now wounded guard rams his blade between the bandit's eyes, finally changing the information observing the bandit's body gives me. It's a corpse now. The guard won. Sorta. Said guard just fell down and is bleeding out. He doesn't appear to be unconscious, but I doubt he'll be able to stand up. What should I do? Should I help? It depends on who you ask. Someone who would have the best interest of the guard or trader in mind would yell at me to rush to their aid, for sure. Unfortunately for them, the only one who seems to respond to my unasked question is far less benevolent.

_New quest unlocked!_

_M is for Murder_

_Kill you enemies._

_Reward: The spoils of battle are reward enough!_

_Failure: New Perk "Pathetic Wuss"!_

I suppose that's fair. Gamer's Mind already made sure that I won't shy away from blood, and ultimately there's no benefit to me saving them. Even if I did, if they see my eyes, talk and the Sage of Six Paths realizes that it's a Sharingan, I am done for.

My body moves almost mechanically to the scene of battle. The guard is on the ground, screaming for help. I suppose I will make the pain go away at least. I tear the blade from the bandit's skull and walk over to the guard. He looks up to me. His eyes show only one emotion. Fear. Rightfully so. I bring the blade down, stabbing it through his right eye.

+500_ XP_

_Level up!_

No Ryo, obviously, but the XP make more than up for it. I dump the three points each into Strength and Vitality, bringing them up to the same level as my Dexterity, sans Sharingan of course.

_Str: 10_

_Vit: 10_

The quest didn't complete. I know why. I move over to the unconscious traders. Blood splatters as I end their lives.

_+100 XP_

_+100 XP_

_+100 XP_

It's over. It's done. I should feel horrible, but it is situations like these Gamer's Mind is there for. I don't feel horrible at all. In fact, I feel great. I just leveled up. Yay me!

_Quest Completed!_

_Reward: The spoils of battle are reward enough!_

I move over to the guard's body and put it in my inventory. Then, I click salvage. The Kaguya's bodies mentioned that I couldn't salvage them because they were part of the Instant Dungeon. That implies, at least to me, that bodies normally give neat stuff. I am not disappointed.

_Object "Eichi's Corpse" has been successfully salvaged! No biological material is currently considered useful. Biological materials destroyed. Due to the low level of the human corpse, no status points can be rewarded._

Now that was an interesting tidbit. No, not the fact that the guard's name was apparently Eichi, the other thing. Corpses, at least those of high-level humans, can yield status points. I suppose that was The Gamer's way of rewarding me for battle even after I've reached whatever maximum level there is?

_For making an accurate observation, you gain +1 Int_

That's one way for my theory concerning maximum levels to be confirmed. I go to the trader's wagon and take and salvage what I can. Unfortunately, most materials are automatically discarded upon salvaging. I could probably turn them into crafting materials if I had the crafting skill, but I don't have it, so I can't. Probably for the better given that my inventory can't hold that many different things. I pocket the five swords and put them into my Inventory. They are a lot more useful than the unwieldy Scytheblades. Not as sturdy or sharp, sure, but at least these come with a grip so I can actually swing them like swords. As for the money they had on them, it's not Ryo, but it can be converted to Ryo on a 1-to-1 basis. I just pocket it. It's around 3000 monies all things taken together, and while there were some neat items in the shop, I figure having money for the society outside of the Instant Dungeon is probably worth having.

With a sigh, I use ID Create again to disappear from sight. Wouldn't want to leave a trail that can be followed. After all, who knows what, or rather whose, attention I could draw to myself?

* * *

**Notes: Oh boy this chapter was a lot harder to write than I thought. Most certainly not my best work. With the salvaging function's true purpose revealed, I sure hope this isn't gonna be a dealbreaker for a lot of people. Now, on to other things.  
**

**Now, as for why he can run despite being a toddler, I actually went to look it up. Toddlers can run from the age of two apparently, which I was not aware of. So I learned something new today, which is nice. I mostly wanted to make a point on how age matters little, what with Kakashi being a Genin at the age of five and whatnot, but it seems like I wasn't even being as insane as I thought I was...**

**I took the suggestions regarding the bolding (and the placement of commas and quotation marks) to heart and will fix that for future chapters.**

**Now, for some of the more story-related stuffs:**

**The "The Gamer" ability stems from the novel of the same name, which is why it's mentioned in the short description of the story. I put a slight twist on it by making it reliant on the Mangekyo Sharingan, but otherwise it's more or less the same thing you see in similar fanfictions or "System"-based LNs. As for how overpowered it is, well, I agree that it's crazy powerful. It's not the most powerful in the series, but it is strong enough to qualify as an endgame ability, and given what people are throwing around at the end of Shippuden, that is a lot of power we are talking about. For the way it works in universe, it's a skill based on Kamui and Izanagi, but that's all I'll reveal (for now). So yeah, it's as broken as the rest of what we see in lategame Shippuden. That is practically intended.**

**The bashing thing is one that, unfortunately, I don't think I can fully prevent due to it being a first person novel. Matsu, in character, will inevitably clash with other characters and their ideology in order for there to be a conflict in the story. As for who he will be opposed to, well, there's targets like Orochimaru (because) Human Experiments or Pain (due to his ideology of creating peace through suffering), but the most fitting person to clash against was simply Naruto. I do have a scene in mind for when he actually faces Naruto, though I am torn on how it'll turn out. Maybe he'll hate Naruto more, maybe less, we'll see when we get to it.**


	4. Not a chapter

...more of an apology to the readers.

Dear readers,

normally I would just wait until the next chapter and put this stuff into the author's notes. In this case, however, I have deemed it so incredibly important to address this before it becomes too late, as it is something which will likely affect future chapters. It also might technically be against the rules because I am sorta letting the reviews influence the story's general direction and am pretty much admitting it by this point, but...

If I continue the story as it is now, or alter it just based on what I think people would like regardless of it making sense or not, the final product would be, simply put, mediocre crap. I do not want that, and my inexperience is no excuse for it either.

First of all, backstory: Why am I writing this right here? Well, this story just tanked it's first negative reviews. Now this is not me being mad or anything, because I expected this to happen during the third chapter. It's where Matsu reveals that he is not Stupid Good, which is a rare thing for a MC to be, so I expected all hell to break loose. Now, I went through the reviews and was originally dismissing them. However, I then went over them again. Then I went over what I had written. And what I had planned. And you know what? Some points they made were valid, or at least thought-provoking enough that I realized glaring flaws in the story. Not in what I had written so far, but in what was soon to come if I were to follow the original script I had for the story.

Let's jump right into that:

The argument was that the "The Gamer" ability was the most powerful in the setting and a plot-hole in itself because it made the character overpowered. Now, this alone is not cause for alarm as far as I'm concerned. That's kinda the point of the whole GamerNaruto genre. I've read a lot of them, and the MC is always stupidly overpowered to the point of insanity the moment Shadow Clones become a thing, and sometimes even before then. Same thing I was going with for this story here, so if anything, that would be a success.

What threw me for the loop was "the most powerful in the setting," which I considered blatantly untrue: There's the Creation Of All Things Technique, which allows you to create Kekkei Genkei (and everything really) from nothing (what with every Bijuu having one), there's Kakashi's Sharingan which could copy Kekkei Genkei during the whole "Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow" movie, there's Madara's Limbo clones which you can't even perceive without Rinnegan or Senjutsu, there's the Shadow Clone Jutsu which can let you train for years of experience within days, there's Sakon and Ukon's Kekkei Genkei/Chimera No Jutsu/Casualty Puppet which can absorb Kekkei Genkei from others, there's the time powers from both The Lost Tower and "Naruto Shippūden the Movie" (Time Travel and Precognition respectively)... The list goes on, all of which are roughly equivalent or more powerful compared to what "The Gamer" could provide (admittedly, a lot of them are just "What the gamer does, but for free"), aside from maybe easier access. So really, "The Gamer" can only ever be as broken as the powers in the setting are. It is then when I had the one thought that prompted me to make this "chapter:"

"Of course it's gonna have plot holes. It's Naruto, the setting itself has a boatload of them."

Not that that was wrong: Every ability named above has the potential to utterly break the setting in two (yes, "The Gamer" included), and that's not even talking about some things which don't make sense in universe from a more mundane standpoint, like motivations. Yet, just me thinking this made me realize what one of the other reviewers was talking about, which I previously dismissed (sorry about that). It made me see my script for what it was:

The story I had planned was a cheap fix fic. And I dislike fix fics.

Sure, I had "answers" for the inconsistencies, but that makes for a mediocre fan theory at best, not a good story, in addition to the fact that it would explain said inconsistencies, but not actually allow me to do something about them without the end result turning incredibly mean spirited. The whole toddler thing I spent a good bit of time overemphasizing? That was a jab at the "Genin at 5 years old" thing of Kakashi. It hurts me to even look at the script, because aside from the minor Kakuzu Bromance I had planned all of it just reads like an angry rant in hindsight.

So, where does this leave the story (assuming it isn't deleted by the mods)? Well, I'm not so sure about it myself. I can probably still salvage a lot of it, even got a way for him to join up almost immediately with the "Age of Naruto," though that would require removal of the Kakuzu Subplot, which I guess was probably a bit too soppy to begin with. I'm not really burned out entirely, and I might just let the plot holes in basic Naruto and Naruto Shippūden stand where they are. Fight fire with fire at some points even, who knows really, but I want to be able to write something I can be proud of, and that is something which I cannot do if this ends up becoming just another forgotten, cringy fix fic.

Or one of those stories where the MC is effectively "Naruto, but smarter." Might just be the "Two-Dimensionality Of Good" that I've been exposed to, but I probably would rather have this story be forgotten and/or deleted than doing that.

Right now, I'm not sure if I should play it out for now or swiftly enact plan B to immediately "jump forward in time." If there's any suggestions, well, the review section is always open. And sometimes it takes a kick where it hurts for an author to realize obvious mistakes.

With kind regards,

Dax379


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